Decorators have often chosen louvered coverings to cover windows and doors. For aesthetic and functional reasons, some decorators choose to use a vertical window blind system having a series of slats and a slat support instead of conventional Venetian blinds. In the past, such vertical blind slats were often painted or otherwise coated to match the building and room decor. When the room decor was changed, however, the painted slats had to be repainted or discarded.
Several vertical blind slats have been developed which allow a section of decorative material to be removably attached to the slat. Because the individual sections of material can thus be replaced when necessary, the overall appearance of the vertical blind is likewise easily changed. The decorative material often includes a strip of paper or fabric, and several types of vertical blind slats have been specifically developed for accommodating these types of materials. However, several problems have been encountered in these improved slats as well.
One example of a blind slat with an interchangeable decorative material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,142,629 to Clark, Jr. Clark, Jr. discloses a rectangular-shaped frame for use with a conventional Venetian blind. The frame has a U-shaped cross-section which forms a channel that can hold a decorative insert. The insert itself is constructed of paper or cardboard and is enclosed within a transparent or translucent material. In this type of construction, the insert is supported only on its outer edges by the frame, leaving the center portion of the insert relatively unsupported. This allows possible sagging of the insert to occur. Furthermore, the transparent or translucent material enclosing the insert can hide the surface texture of the insert and detract from its appearance.
Other constructions of a slat for a vertical blind are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,038 to Hyman et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,036 to Goodman. Both of these references disclose vertical blind slats having an elongate panel and a decorative laminate secured onto the panel. The panel is constructed from a rigid material and has inwardly extending flanges along each side edge. The flanges form a wide, low channel capable of receiving the laminate. Since the flanges run only along the side edges of the panel, the bottom edge is left unprotected. Because vertical blinds normally reach all the way to the floor or window sill for aesthetic reasons, the bottom edge of the decorative laminate may fray when it rubs against the floor covering or window sill. Also, the exposed bottom edge of the laminate is easily soiled, eventually detracting from the overall appearance of the vertical blind. Furthermore, warping of the laminate due to changes in temperature and humidity may cause buckling to occur near the free bottom edge, allowing the laminate to easily pull out from under the flanges.
Additionally, other vertical blind slats have transparent flanges which require the pattern on the decorative laminate to be matched with the pattern on adjacent vertical blind slats to ensure a uniform appearance. Matching fabrics with the necessary precision requires extra time and effort, and can often be unsuccessful. Also, that portion of the fabric not covered by the transparent flange eventually fades, and is aesthetically unappealing because it stands in contrast to the unfaded portion of the fabric visible under the transparent flange.